The title of this book accurately reflects its content: an introduction to the discipline, though from a distinct historic and openly opinionated perspective. In light of other available introductory texts, Beaumont’s book would not be sufficient as a “stand alone” resource. Neither is it comprehensive or up-to-date enough to be considered an authoritative text. Yet this book makes a valuable contribution to the growing cadre of neuropsychological textbooks available to instructors. It is best suited for use in the classroom to orient students to the discipline and its place in history, and experimental foundations. Given the book’s straightforward and accessible writing style, it is quite appropriate for an undergraduate course or as a supplement in a graduate course.

In this second edition, the author builds upon the first 1983 edition by adding an entire chapter on degenerative disorders and profound brain injury, and sections on neuroimaging, rehabilitation, and neuropsychiatry. Throughout the text, he aims to provide a balanced perspective of the field by addressing both scientific and clinical topics. In the course of his coverage, he also explicitly infuses his personal opinion, which adds interest to the content but also takes away from the objectivity expected for such a text. Readers whose opinions differ from the author’s will either find such points intriguing or distracting. The integration of his personal comments is often entertaining and sometimes instructive by reminding the reader to remain critical of the current knowledge base in neuropsychology. With regard to the general layout of the book, there are not many diagrammatic representations, but the included choice illustrations are useful and appropriate for the content. The book is notable for its reliance on references to older studies. The author defends his retention of older references, many of which are from the 1970’s, by stating, “Psychology, generally, is in danger of losing contact with its rich intellectual heritage, and an appreciation of the history of neuropsychology is critical to a full understanding of contemporary concerns.” A valuable aspect of the book, which compensates for both the brevity of some sections and the dated references, is a supplemental, “Further Reading” list at the end of every chapter that serves as an indispensable resource for readers desiring more in-depth coverage on many of the book’s topics.

The volume’s 16 chapters are organized into three parts. Part one contains two chapters which provide a general introduction to the field, including intellectual warnings against “the fringe” of neuropsychology, which he identifies as theories on consciousness, cultural differences, and occupational/educational adjustment. The author posits that these “ideas” are exciting but lack adequate scientific evidence to warrant serious consideration. This brief section does not elaborate further or include any references. As such, it leaves the reader to wonder what specific aspects of the aforementioned “ideas” he is referring to, especially since several of these areas currently have well-established scientific bases. The absence of greater attention to these areas gives the appearance of premature judgment on relevant and recent, albeit controversial, developments within the discipline. The introduction also presents a summary of North American, Russian, and British historical approaches to clinical neuropsychology, and offers insightful critiques of each. Chapter 2 provides a very brief overview of structure of the central nervous system (CNS). Beaumont begins this chapter with an explanation of anatomical terminology and the protective layers of the CNS, and then proceeds through the phylogenetic divisions of the brain. Missing from this section is a discussion, or even mention, of the cellular structure of the CNS and its chemical basis of communication. He recognizes that this anatomy chapter is “necessarily rather cursory” but explains that it should suffice for the provision of knowledge necessary to understand brain structures that are the target of the remainder of the book. While perhaps true, this fact, paired with the book’s inferior illustrations, leaves much to desire for an appreciation for the brain’s marvelous structure.

The seven chapters of Part II, Clinical Studies, present overviews of the functions of the four lobes, language, degenerative diseases and profound brain injury, and the subcortex and psychosurgery. In the chapters on the lobes of the brain, Beaumont covers some but not all of the following: anatomy, connections, signs of dysfunction, lateralization, and expected test patterns which accompany damage to specific brain areas. The author’s decision to include a review of profound brain injury, at the expense of orienting the reader to a far more frequent condition, mild-moderate traumatic brain injury, is perplexing given its relatively rare occurrence. Nonetheless, the chapter is well-written and absorbing. Chapter 9, Subcortex & Psychosurgery, covers a fairly broad array of psychosurgeries, including frontal leucotomy; yet, it fails to cover one fairly common method of psychosurgery: deep brain stimulation.

Part III, Experimental Studies, is a strength in this volume, and includes 5 chapters: Split Brains and Dual Minds, Divided Visual Field Studies, Dichotic Listening, Electrophysiology and Imaging, and Individual Differences: Gender and Handedness. Notable in these chapters is the detailed descriptions of theories, models, and methods of the experimental paradigms that have provided some of the most intriguing and foundational findings in neuropsychology. The chapter on Electrophysiology and Imaging, however, is sorely imbalanced towards electrophysiology and fails to adequately orient the reader to the host of fascinating and novel imaging studies that have recently dominated new knowledge in the field.

Part IV, Applications, is comprised of two engaging chapters: Neuropsychological Practice and Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology. Together, these two chapters offer a thorough and insightful review of how neuropsychology is applied in clinical settings. These final chapters of the volume work well to orient the reader to clinical career options, and will likely affirm for future neuropsychologists the reasons why they chose to dedicate study to this field.

I believe that Introduction to Neuropsychology makes a valuable contribution to the available selection of introductory texts. While the book does not have “stand out” features that make it particularly attractive to instructors interested in a single, multi-purpose text that will serve students being introduced to the field, it will, however, function as an important adjunct for instructors who desire a historical context for neuropsychological knowledge in a concise yet comprehensive format. Indeed, Beaumont’s Introduction to Neuropsychology is a perfect supplement to other primary course materials. The author proclaims as his overall goal “… to inspire students with an interest in neuropsychology to grapple with the intellectual questions that the discipline poses and to share the satisfactions that I have enjoyed.” In this second edition, he has achieved this goal.